Well, it's not just in relation to running but a way of tackling life. I was privileged enough to learn with my marathon training that you can pretty much conquer anything. At first I wasn't fond of hills, but after training with them, I learned to love them. While running them, they made me hurt, they gave me pain, they made me work harder, they made me want to quit, and at times.. Made me question my sanity. But once I reached their peaks, I felt accomplished, I felt satisfied, I felt invincible, I felt happy, and I felt like doing 5 more! After running them, I felt stronger, I felt faster, I felt smarter, and I felt like I could push for more each time.

You see I relate hills to life. When something unpleasant occurs (ascent), we get uncomfortable and most often it hurts! When we reach a point of feeling better (peak) we feel happier. When we reach a point of healing (recovery), we feel stronger, wiser, and better equipped to handle the next difficult situation.

When I encounter a hill, my strategy is to run the hell out of it. Feel the hurt. Enjoy the release. And take advantage of the benefits.